


The Nine Lives of Chat Noir

by Bluestpaw



Series: Hurt/Comfort [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir is Like a Disney Princess, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bittersweet Ending, But they come back, F/M, I think it's a happy ending, Identity Reveal, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Pre-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, at least, au-ish, people die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:47:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25896928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluestpaw/pseuds/Bluestpaw
Summary: Every cat has nine lives and so does Chat Noir. The nine times he died and the three times he didn't.WARNING: Major character death with a twist, rating for violence.Not canon compliant/AU-ish
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Hurt/Comfort [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956280
Comments: 11
Kudos: 86





	The Nine Lives of Chat Noir

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: this story features a major character death. It does feature violence too, though it is not graphic (however, you have been warned). In addition, this story it not canon compliant: The Miraculous Cure can't bring people back from the death and the show itself isn't referenced either - I guess it counts as an AU of sort?
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy - while it is supposed to be an angsty story, I do think the ending itself is a pretty happy one - while being bitter-sweet.
> 
> If you enjoyed, please do consider to leave a comment ^^

**The Nine Lifes Of Chat Noir**

**.o.O.o.**

**1\. The death that wasn't one**

His first death wasn't one. His first death he didn't even remember. They had fought Alix, one of his classmates and he had simply disappeared. Disappeared into nothingness, his life, his time, stolen by an Akuma.

Time breaker had been scary, the people of Paris would later say. Though, Chat didn't remember. He didn't remember anything. He didn't remember himself vanishing. He didn't even remember the two Ladybugs he allegedly fought with! To him it felt as if he had closed his eyes and opened them a second later.

Fate hadn't been so merciful to his Lady though.

It took her a month to tell him. A month and an Akuma attack.

"Stop! Stop...stop treating this like a joke!", she had screamed at his face. He hadn't understood back then. Didn't know what she was going on about. Until she had told him. Told him how she had seen him die. How she had thought she'd never see him again. Told him how the nightmares kept her awake at night out of fear that he'd simply vanish another time.

"This isn't a joke, Chat! This...This...This is dangerous! Stop trying to get yourself killed! I-I can't lose my best friend!"

She had had tears in her eyes. She had cried in his arms back then and it had broken his heart. He had made his Lady cry after all. What kind of cat made his Lady cry?

A bad one.

But, he hadn't taken her seriously. His mind had been too distracted by her in his arms and the fact _that she cared_. His Lady cared! And all it had taken was his supposed death!

He wasn't sure whether to feel flattered or angry.

But he hadn't taken her serious.

_So far, nine lives were left._

**.o.O.o.**

**2\. The first one**

His first real death had happened during a battle, which surprised no one. They were older. They were stronger. And Hawkmoth...Hawkmoth was seemingly desperate.

This death wasn't like Time Breaker. But at the same time it was.

Just a tad more painful.

All he remembered was being hit, well, no, being impaled by a javelin. He remembered the pain of the impact, the sudden sensation of his skin getting ripped apart and the feeling of _something_ leaving his body. He hadn't made the connection back then, not until he had woken up in his Lady's arms, starring at her tear-stained face.

She had grown pale when he had opened them.

"Hey, Lb. Cat got your tongue?", he had asked. He didn't understand why she was crying. He had been hit plenty of times after all.

Her first reaction was to smack him. And then she hugged him, pressing him close to her chest, even more desperate than when she had told him about her nightmares.

Chat was confused. Not that he minded the contact, in fact he could feel a thousand little butterflies going wild in his stomach right now, but she wasn't hugging him because she loved him. She was hugging him because she was desperate and clinging onto something.

"LB...Hey...Hey, my lady..."

Carefully, he extracted his body from hers, putting her at arms length. Smiled at her. Tried to look at her eyes. It made her sob even louder.

"You...You died!", she then all but shouted, before rubbing her eyes. She didn't dare to look at him.

Chat's ears dropped.

Oh.

"You're...You're pulse was just...gone!" Unconsciously, he felt himself checking his pulse. Still there. He was fine. Whatever it had been...Ladybug had made it better. She had always had a knack for fixing things.

"But...I came back, didn't I?", he whispered, taking her face into his hands, wiping her tears away. He tried to smile but he failed. He had died, he realized. He had died. The pain, that strange feeling...Was that was death felt like?

He didn't like thinking about it. And he wanted Ladybug to stop crying.

"If you had simply told me that dying is all that it takes to make you hug me...", he murmured humorously, trying to make her look at him. She smacked him again.

It was good to see she was back.

"You...You idiot!", she muttered and then she hugged him a second time. Well, Chat mused to himself, he'd gladly die a million times if it meant his Lady would give him a hug.

_And then there were only eight._

**.o.O.o.**

**3\. The one that made them notice**

Hawkmoth grew desperate. Really desperate. The last time it had been an accident, Adrien was sure of it. But this time it wasn't. This time, the building had caught fire. This time, people had _died_.

And so had he. But Ladybug could save them, right? She had saved him that one time, right? Her Miraculous Cure could fix everything.

It couldn't. And it hadn't. The people that died in that fire stayed dead. Nothing could ever change that.

Ladybug had been devastated. He had to drag her away from the corpses when her earrings started beeping and had to restrain her from crawling back, begging for their forgiveness. He had left her in a deserted alleyway, after checking no one was there, making sure no one would see her like this and take advantage. He had wanted to stay. Had begged her to let him just reveal himself, that she needed someone to talk to. That they both needed someone to talk to.

But she had refused.

So he had left her behind and ran home, trying to forget the sickening screams. Trying to forget the pictures that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Eventually he stopped crying. One always does. Eventually his sobs stopped. Eventually he calmed down.

He wished Ladybug would have been here. They could have comforted each other. But like always, she had refused. He loved her stubbornness and sometimes he hated it.

"Plagg...Why...Why couldn't Ladybug safe them?" His voice was barely a whisper. He loved his Lady. He'd never blame her for what had happened. But he was scared. What...What if they weren't strong enough? What if they could never defeat Hawkmoth? What if they'd fail time and time again? How many people would die?

"They're dead, kid. Ladybug can create but death...That's outside her realm." The black kwami swallowed a piece of cheese. Somehow, he did it less enthusiastically than usual. Something was wrong.

"But...I didn't die", Adrien said, wonder spreading across his face. He hadn't died. He was still alive. And this was the second time it had happened.

"Of course not. You're a cat. You have nine lives." Plagg merely shrugged, but something was off about him. He tried to be nonchalant. Tried to make it seem like he didn't care. But Adrien knew better.

Just how many of his charges had lost their nine lives prematurely?

_Seven is a lucky number._

**.o.O.o.**

**4\. The one that was unnecessary**

Plagg had been furious when they had come home. Absolutely furious. But it meant he cared, so that was nice, right?

"You...you have to stop doing that!", his kwami hissed. Adrien simply laughed it off, trying to keep the memories at bay. Dying was never pleasant. He tried to pretend it was, but while he didn't remember what it felt like, being dead, he remembered the pain that came before and he remembered Ladybug's tear stained face every time he had woken up.

It broke his heart whenever he saw it. It was his fault. But no one could blame him, right?

"That was unnecessary! That was...That was reckless! You didn't have to die back there!"

As much as Adrien hated to admit it, Plagg was right. He had tried to impress LB. He had been reckless. Too reckless.

"You died, Adrien! You died! You...You only have nine lives! Don't go wasting them!" There was an edge to Plagg's voice that Adrien rarely ever heard. That made him listen. That made him stop smiling and notice the tears welling up in Plagg's eyes.

And thus he promised Plagg: "I won't, Plagg. I swear, I won't."

_Six lives are still half a dozen._

**.o.O.o.**

**5\. The death that was healed**

The doctors had called it a miracle. Everything about it. That he had survived. The quick recovery. They didn't know why or how and while Adrien knew exactly _why_ and _how_ , he couldn't tell them. Couldn't tell him that he still had five more lives to spare.

It had been a disease and it had come out of nowhere. It had bound him to his bed for weeks and while the best doctors in France had tried their very best it had cost him dearly.

It had taught him a lot, though. For one, he learned that Marinette held him dearer than he had thought or ever dared to imagine. She had visited him daily, without fail. She had brought pastries, flowers, stories from school and sometimes, she had kept him company for hours, even if he was barely able to respond.

It was nice to know she cared. It was terrifying to see just _how much_.

She was there when he flatlined. She was still there moments later when he opened his eyes again and smiled at her, innocently asking what had happened. She simply sobbed in answer and wiped her tears away.

Adrien wished he could have been the one to do so.

"Hey...hey, Mari...Princess..." Neither of them noticed the nickname he had let slip through. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!", she suddenly shouted, sitting up straight at once. Fresh tears were streaming down her face and Adrien winced when he realized he had made her cry again. Just like he made Ladybug cry all the time.

"My friend just almost died!"

Oh. He looked away. It...well, of course. He _had_ just died, after all. She had probably been worried. But then a smile spread over his face and he couldn't help but feel elevated.

"I...I'm glad you think we're friends...", he murmured, sheepishly rubbing his neck. He glanced at her, awaiting her reaction. He didn't even know why. Or what exactly he was hoping to happen.

And Marinette...Marinette simply blinked for a second. And then she tackled him into a hug and he could feel tears hitting his shirt. "Of course we are!" And Adrien couldn't help but fell bad because her hug made his stomach flutter just like LB did and he felt like a two-timing jerk.

_Five lives are still a lot to spare._

**.o.O.o.**

**6\. The death that revealed**

The next death occurred during an Akuma battle once again. Though, there was a difference: This time, he wasn't transformed.

Adrien had been on his way to help LB, had just fled the limousine that was supposed to carry him to safety and then...then he had been hit.

It was a rare occurrence. Hawkmoth, for all the faults that he had, didn't actively try to kill anyone. (It didn't make it any better though - People died. Plenty of people died and while it was never as many as during the fire the first time it happened, Hawkmoth was a murderer).

Adrien had been hit by a falling piece of a building. It had knocked him out good and it had been by far his most painful death. During the fire he had simply lost consciousness after being exposed to the monoxide for too long. The javelin had embed itself in his chest, right in his heart. He had been heavily sedated while he had been in the hospital.

This time, his adrenaline kept him up all the time while he slowly bled to death.

The worst part was that Marinette found him.

"H...rry...kki!"

He didn't know what she was saying. She was talking to someone but he couldn't see anyone else. He couldn't truly make out the words either but he heard her panic, felt her pain as she squeezed his hand. He could imagine the way her eyes looked. Was it the same look like when he had flatlined during his death in the hospital?

He closed his eyes once more when the pain became just too much to bear. He knew he was sobbing the entire time.

Dying was never fun.

And then he opened his eyes again, not a heartbeat later, with Marinette crying above him and clutching the fabric of his shirt.

Adrien didn't want her to cry. She didn't deserve this pain. So, carefully, he snatched her hands and when she looked up (he could get lost in those eyes, Adrien swore in that exact moment), he simply smiled at her. I'm still here, he tried to convey. I didn't leave you. I'd never do that to you.

But Marinette simply stared at him, stunned and just then he realized that in her eyes, he had just come back from the dead. How would he explain this, what was he...

"You...You're Chat Noir...", she whispered, eyes wide, still clutching his shirt (though it wasn't as painful and desperate anymore as it had been second before). Adrien's eyes shot open. What, how? How did she know?

And then realization struck him.

"You're...you're Ladybug?"

Marinette started sobbing again. And then she gave him yet another hug and Adrien smiled because damn, there was nothing better than her hugs.

_Four lives are enough to last a lifetime._

**.o.O.o.**

**7\. The one that lead to something**

He had lied, Adrien realized when he died yet another time. There were better things than her hugs.

They had fought a battle and while Hawkmoth made sure no civilians died during any Akuma attacks, he didn't hold such reservations when it came to Ladybug and Chat Noir.

He died once more that day. This time it was life on camera. This time the whole world saw Ladybug crying miserably as her partner's life slowly faded from his eyes. This time the whole world saw him come back to life. They heard her scream at him. They heard her straight out _slap him_.

And they saw her kiss him. And Adrien felt like he had died again, at that exact moment.

_Three lives that I'd die for you._

**.o.O.o.**

**8\. The one they'd always expected**

They were dating. First Ladybug and Chat Noir and a month later Adrien and Marinette. They had started to hang out more already anyway, so no one questioned this sudden development. In fact, the entire class cheered (even...Chloé?) when they first heard it and Alya sobbed something about her "true OTP finally having set sail".

It was only then that he realized Marinette had had a crush on him since forever. He could already imagine how he'd tease her with _that_ newfound knowledge.

Adrien couldn't be happier when he was finally able to walk up to her on a school day and simply kiss her, his girlfriend. It was...Marinette was everything. Not just everything he ever wanted. He had wanted much less, he wasn't a spoiled brat. If he had wished for everything that Marinette was then that would have been too much to ask for.

She completed him.

Adrien loved her when they went on boring patrols, he loved her when they took down Akuma's together. He loved her when they sat in her room and cuddled or played silly games or did homework together.

He loved her laughter, her smile. He loved her eyes, her freckles (she had 72!) and her lips (God, he loved her lips!). He loved her stubbornness, her honesty and her clumsiness (it always gave him a reason to gracefully catch her and hold her closer than was technically speaking appropriate for being in public).

He'd give his life for her.

And thus, one one fateful day, the time came that she wasn't transformed and he had to take a hit for her.

It was an accident. She hadn't paid attention and neither had the driver and then, before he knew it, he had pushed her out of the way. Usually it wouldn't have been a problem. Usually their suits would have protected them. But she wasn't transformed and neither was he and her scream ripping through the air was the last thing he heard before he closed his eyes once more.

When he opened them again she was sitting next to him. Sobbing. Crying.

He enjoyed the hugs when he woke up, but he wished she'd stop the tears. As much as he loved every single part of her, he didn't like her tears. Unless it were tears of joys that she sometimes let loose of course (sadly never because of his ameowzing puns!).

"Purrincess...", he murmured softly and took her hands into his. He felt Nino's burning stare on him and he knew that Alya would have some questions about this sudden development (they _had_ just seen him get thrown around like a sack filled with potatoes after all). But that didn't matter right now. He had to make sure Marinette was fine.

He heard the wailing of sirens in the distance.

"Why did you do that?", she sobbed, hugging him closer. "You didn't have to! I...I..." "But of course I had to! I'm your knight in shining armour after all!"

He grinned when she smacked him playfully on the shoulder. That was good news. If she was mad at him, she wouldn't cry for much longer.

And also she happened to kiss him better all the time.

The doctor's had shook their heads once the check-up was done, declaring it a miracle once more, while Marinette had stared at him open-eyed and Adrien had simply laughed and hugged her again, glad that she was safe. Glad to be her knight in shining and sometimes bloody armour.

_Two lives left is still more than most people have._

**.o.O.o.**

**9\. The one that made them realize**

"You...You have to stop!", she screamed at him the moment the cameras were gone. "You-You can't do this anymore!"

Ladybug was furious and he knew why. But she had to de-evilize the Akumas, she was the one that had to save the people. It was her job to be Paris' saviour and it was his job to be hers.

"Mari..." "Don't Mari me!", she hissed, arms pressed into her hips. She tried to look mad but there was something much scarier in her eyes. Worry. No, not just her usual worry. There was more.

Terror.

"Princess..." "Eight times, Adrien! You died eight times! You...you have to stop!"

Realization sat in and he remembered Plagg's words. He shouldn't go wasting his lives.

"But, my Lady..." "No!" "I'd be happy to die for you."

Silence. She didn't answer. A fresh wave of tears welled up in her eyes, accompanied by her heart wrenching sobs. He bit his lips and was about to get closer to her, to pull her into a hug, to make it all better. To make it better for him to. Eight lives had been lost already.

"But I don't want you to die!", Marinette eventually whispered. She got up, started pacing, started rambling.

"I-Id don't want you to die! I...I want to grow old with you, I want to share my life with you, I don't want to have to bury your corpse when I'm 18! You don't understand, Adrien, you just don't..."  
She didn't get to finish her sentence. He was beside her, hugging her, showing her that he was alive. That he was there, right next to her.

"My, it almost sounds like you're proposing, Lb," he whispered into her ear.

What he really had wanted to say was that he didn't want to die either. That he wanted to see her in a white dress eventually, that he wanted to hold her for the rest of his life and that he was on the point so simply say "Screw Hawkmoth!" and never move ever again. But he couldn't, because he knew he had a duty and if that meant dying for Paris, he knew he'd do it just to keep his Lady safe.

_One life is enough to die in glory._

**.o.O.o.**

**10\. The death in battle**

The final showdown took place in his very own house. In his very own room.

It was sickening.

"...Why?!"

Chat still couldn't believe it. He had seen his father, no, _Gabriel_ , transform into Hawkmoth. He had seen the Miraculous, heck, he had even seen his mother's grave (he refused to call it anything else – his father was crazy for believing he could bring her back).

He didn't want it to be true though. His father may have been distant but...he had been there. There had always been the chance of them to make up. Of him growing closer. But that chance was now no more. His father was a murderer. A lunatic. A villain. The man that had killed him eight times.

They fought hard. Hawkmoth had akumatized Nathalie. And his father himself…

His father was the better fencer.

Chat saw Hawkmoth raise his blade. He saw the sickening grin on the man's, his father's!, face. He felt the air shift as the man brought his sword down, directed at his abdomen. He heard Ladybug scream his name.

She screamed his name. And Hawkmoth stopped. For the first time in the whole battle Adrien could see his father's face underneath the mask.

"A...Adrien?" The voice was hesitant. There was a flicker of doubt.

"Why...father?" Adrien's voice sounded hoarse when he spoke. When he stared at the man that had been supposed to raise him. The man that stepped back, disbelieve in his eyes before it morphed into a much uglier emotion and he turned and screamed. Screamed.

His father didn't scream.

"YOU!", he shouted, looking at Ladybug, at his Lady, with the hatred of the entire world in his eyes. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" And then his father lunged.

And so did Chat Noir.

He had known someone would die that battle. He just...he had thought it would be him. In his Lady's arms, giving her a better world, a _safer_ world. He would have been happy. He would have known that he had fulfilled his purpose.

He stared in disbelieve at the figure in his arms, the transformation slowly fading away.

Chat had always thought he'd be the one to lose his life. But instead his father died and took away the last piece of family that he thought he had left. Until he looked up and saw Marinette sitting next to him, sobbing and begging for his forgiveness. "I...I shouldn't have been there, I should have been faster, then he wouldn't..."

But he simply took her hand and kissed it, the faintest hint of a smile on his face. "We won, my Lady."

Now they simply had to face the storm that his father had sowed.

_One life that might just last..?_

**.o.O.o.**

**11\. The small one**

They had decided to wait until Hawkmoth was defeated. They were 19 when that happened. And then they had decided to wait until Adrien's life was normal again.

His father was Hawkmoth. His father...His father had killed him seven times.

And he had killed his father.

But Marinette was there and had kissed all his tears away and had hugged him whenever the world seemed to swallow him.

He had proposed when they were 21. It had been a small wedding, just their friends, her family. Nothing big, in Paris. They had decided to stay. Adrien refused to run. His father had fucked up and he'd make sure to do as much as he could to heal the wounds left in the people's hearts. Even at his wife's insistence that he had done so much – more than anyone else – as Chat Noir, he had insisted. And Marinette had supported him every step of the way.

The wedding had been beautiful and everything he had ever wanted. He had never seen a more beautiful woman in his life. He had never seen a prettier smile. He had never kissed sweeter lips.

And the wedding night…

They were cuddling, simply enjoying each other's presence. Snuggling up to each other, sharing each other's warmth. And then he chuckled.

"I swear, if it's a pun, Adrien..." He chuckled again and kissed her temple.

"I was just thinking about how many times you've killed me tonight..." She smacked him with a pillow.

He died another time that night.

_One life is left (though he died a dozen little ones)._

**.o.O.o.**

**12\. The one he had always wanted**

Chat had had a great life, he knew that. He had married the woman of his dreams, his Lady, Marinette. He had seen her grow and do what she loved. He had seen her laugh and smile and cry and so much more and he was forever thankful for that.

They had taken down his father together. They had fought their way through hell after he had been taken care of. They had both prepared to say goodbye to their Kwamis, just to be delighted when Master Fu told them they could keep them – for the time being. Until a new threat arose.

There had been smiles and laughter and stolen kisses as they took over "Gabriel's" together and even more so when Marinette at some point had announced that she was pregnant. And then two more times, giving him Emma, Hugo and Louis (she had been amusingly insistent on those three names – not that he cared). They had even gotten a hamster!

He had had an amazing life with great friends, a family that was so much closer than what his dad had ever given him and work he actually enjoyed.  
And of course he had his lady. Every day waking up next to her was truly miraculous.

Adrien silently highfived himself for that _amazing_ play on words.

He hadn't died anymore. He knew he was on his last life but there was no more danger – he was just like everyone else. Of course, there had been moments of fright. During the car accident. That one time he got really sick. But he was a normal human being and even if he had died those times, he would have done so with a smile because, damn it, this life was more than he had ever hoped for. Though, as much as he enjoyed being just a normal human – no Akuma's interrupting dates anymore! - he was human.

He was fragile.

So when the cancer came back, his family knew to expect the worst.

He was 82 years old when he died and it was just like he had always wanted. His family next to him. His kids – even Louis had made it, even though running Gabriel's wasn't an easy task – his grandkids – Alya was too young to fully understand why everyone was crying – and of course his lady. Her smile. Her wonderful eyes. Her warm hands clutching his.

They both knew it was life number nine.

And then he closed his eyes.

When he woke up the next time, he wasn't in hospital anymore. Though he was still clutching his lady's hand and there were still people around him. It just wasn't his family.

"Hey, he woke up!", someone chimed.

"Took him long enough!" "Aren't they cute together?" "But, sweetheart, we're _always_ cute together!" He was looking at strange faces. All of them seemed familiar but he was sure he had never seen them before.

At least there was one that he knew.

His Lady had only ever had one life. And she had lost hers not soon after his, in the same hospital as he had.

He listened patiently when the strange faces explained everything to them.

Yes, this was the afterlife. Yes, they were dead. Yes, they were their previous lives. The memories of what had happened. The remnants of two souls that had been reborn on earth to try and find each other yet again.

And then they took them away, Marinette smiling at him with those depthless eyes of hers, to show them around, to show them their new home. On earth, he watched two children being born, merely a year apart. One in the US. One in China. For a second he pondered how they'd find each other, before joining his love in getting to know all their previous lives.

Turns out this cat had more than just nine.

_And now there are just a million different lives left._

* * *


End file.
